Published 17:25 IST, November 26th 2020
Ind vs Aus: Prithvi Shaw outsmarts Bumrah & Jadeja by imitating their bowling actions
Young Prithvi Shaw outsmarted his seniors Jasprit Bumrah & Ravindra Jadeja by imitating their bowling actions in the nets ahead of the 1st ODI on Friday.
India and Australia will be locking horns in the first ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday. Ahead of the opening encounter, two of Team India's star players, Jasprit Bumrah and, Ravindra Jadeja seemed to be having some fun during the team's net session.
'Imitating?'
It so happened that while both of them were bowling in the nets, Jaddu was seen imitating Bumrah's unique style which he almost executed to perfection. However, what really stood out here was that young opener Prithvi Shaw was seen rolling his arms over and was supposedly trying to bowl like veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh. Meanwhile, Jasprit returned the favor by bowling left-arm off-break like Jadeja.
At the end of the video, it is Shaw who outsmarts both his senior players by trying their bowling actions. He first bowls an off-break in Ravi Jadeja's style but with his right hand as the youngster is a right-handed batsman who also bowls off-break sporadically. Finally, the ICC U-19 2018 World Cup-winning skipper concludes by bowling a typical 'Bumrah' slower one that went over the stumps.
The video was posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on their official Twitter handle. Watch it right here:
An important bilateral series for India Down Under
Team India will be seen in action for the first time in almost nine months when they lock horns with the five-time world champions at the Sydney Cricket Ground next Friday. The Men In Blue had suffered a 3-0 whitewash in New Zealand earlier this year and they would be hoping to rediscover their rhythm in the 50-overs format by getting the better of the Aaron Finch-led side in their own backyard.
Coming to the T20Is, India would be hoping to repeat the heroics of the 2015/16 season where they had whitewashed the Aussies by a 3-0 margin. However, what is more, important here is that the 2007 World T20 champions will be hoping to start identifying the players who can be a part of the core team for next year's ICC T20 World Cup that they will be hosting in October-November.
As this is India's first-ever T20I series post-COVID-19 break, this is where they would be looking to strategise and plan as the race to the T20 cricket's showpiece event begins.
Finally, it all comes down to the four-match Test series. As India and Australia lock horns in pure whites come December 17. India had beaten Australia when they had toured Down Under during the 2018-19 season by a 2-1 margin in the four-match series to win their maiden Test series on Australian soil. It remains to be seen whether the Virat Kohli-led side will succeed in retaining the iconic Border-Gavaskar Trophy by getting the better of a full-strength Australian side that features the likes of Steve Smith, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, etc.
Updated 17:25 IST, November 26th 2020